The Guardian's Job
by MBP
Summary: Eve is there to protect the librarians - it turns out more than just physically. Emotional support is sometimes even more necessary. They all have demons, and sometimes, she's the only one who can help.


_Disclaimer: I clearly don't own The Librarians._

 _A/N: I haven't written FF in a while, but I can't stop watching this show and loving these characters more and more. For now, I see this as a one-shot, but it might become a series of moments Eve has with each of the librarians. Time will tell. Hope you enjoy!_

I wasn't quite sure what to do when Cassandra and Ezekiel walked back into the room alone. It was clear from the look on Cassandra's face, at least, that Stone hadn't taken them up on their offer to spend some time together. It had been a rough day for all of us to not be able to help all of the people in Tesla's town, but the loss of Mabel had clearly hit Jacob harder than anything previously had, and I wasn't sure what we could do to help him — particularly since he's the last person to ever admit to even needing help. He might ask Cassie about a math problem or even get Jones to help him open a particularly difficult lock, but he's not the type to open up if he can ever help it. And he always tries to help it. I sighed, and Cassandra looked right at me.

We didn't need to discuss it. Once we'd both glanced at Jenkins and Jones and realized they were occupied, we walked out into the hall, and then she blurted, "I'm — I'm worried about him. He fell for her. Hard. He really did. And now…" she trailed off, but she hardly needed to explain any further. I'd seen what she had, and I felt the same way.

"Did he say where he was going?" I asked, but Cassie shook her head.

"No, he just said he had to go somewhere." She let out a shaky breath, and I put my hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

"You all did the best you could." I tried to reassure her once again, but she just nodded quickly, and I knew she didn't really believe me. I also knew she'd need to come to terms with this in her own time, and nothing I said would make a difference at this point, so I refocused on the matter at hand.

"Are you going to wait up for him to get back?" she asked as I opened my mouth to speak, and my mouth fell open even further as I stared at her.

"I was — I was about to ask you that," I said slowly. "Did you — is this a new form of magic? Have you taken up mind reading?"

Cassandra smiled slightly, but her eyes weren't in it. She shook her head. "No, I just think you ought to do it."

I was confused. "But — he knew you understood, so why wouldn't you…" I trailed off. She was shaking her head again.

"No, Eve. It has to be you. There's — I know we got past our trust issues, but you're our guardian. For better or worse — I kind of feel like this is part of it. I also don't think Jacob would want — would be able to…" she trailed off, and I realized how close to tears she suddenly was.

"I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit," I said gently. "I think he probably would talk to you."

Cassandra shrugged. "Maybe. And maybe I'll have a chance later. But he needs to talk to someone when he gets back tonight, and that someone needs to be you."

I swallowed hard. I knew this was going to be far more difficult than fighting any bad guys. Stone seemed to consider emotions as more of an enemy than most of the creatures we came across, and I didn't relish this conversation as much as I also knew she was right — it needed to happen tonight, and it did, unfortunately, need to be me. I just had to wait.

It turned out to be a long wait. I was yawning hugely at 2am when the back door thudded open and Stone came stumbling in. It was clear from how long it took him to right himself that he'd been drinking, and I sighed inwardly. That might make the words flow faster, but it also meant that it could be an even more difficult conversation than I'd been imagining. He blinked in confusion when I unfolded myself from the chair I'd been slumped in, and he said, "Oh, hey Colonel," more gruffly than he usually did.

I walked over to the couch that we hardly ever used. It was nestled in a corner of the room, and Jake watched me with even more confusion until I sat down and slapped the cushion next to me.

"Sit," I said firmly although I knew my eyes couldn't hide my concern. But he was hardly looking at me and just seemed to follow orders as a matter of routine.

For a few minutes, we sat in silence. I wasn't sure whether to say anything or wait for him to speak, which was beginning to seem like a hopeless cause. Finally, as I was about to clear my throat and give it my best shot, Stone cleared his.

"I guess this was Cassie's idea?" he asked, but it hardly seemed like a question. On the other hand, I wasn't sure why he'd even mention her, so at least that gave me something to talk about. I half nodded, half shook my head.

"I wanted to talk to you anyway, but she did mention something," I said slowly. "But why? Does it make a difference?"

He shrugged. "Nah, not really. I'm ok. I know she was worried about me when we got back, but I really am fine." He must have caught the skepticism in my eyes because he repeated, "I'm fine."

"Stone," I sighed. "You're many things right now, but ok and fine aren't anywhere near the top of the list. Listen… I also saw you with Mabel…. I…" but before I could continue, he tried to stand up. I grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down with surprising ease. He must have had more to drink than I'd even realized for that to have been so easy. He scowled but refused to make eye contact.

"I don't want to talk about it," he growled, but since he clearly wasn't going anywhere, I threw caution to the winds and continued.

"I know you don't. I also know you probably should. You don't talk about stuff, but this — this is different. This is hard. And there's a reason we're all here together now. Family is complicated — I know that — but I also know that we're each other's family now, and that means we help each other when things are hard. Let us — let me — help."

He still wasn't looking up at me, but I still had my hand on his shoulder, and I couldn't feel him start to tremble slightly. All I wanted to do was let go and leave him be, but I could hear Cassandra's voice in my head saying "don't you dare," so I left it there and even squeezed slightly.

For a few minutes, neither of us spoke. Then, without looking up and sounding nothing like himself, Jacob grated out, "I hardly knew her. I don't know why…" and he trailed off. From the strangled sound of his voice, I knew he couldn't have said another word if he'd tried.

"It's — I don't think time matters, Jake," I said gently. My hand was still on his shoulder, and his trembling increased as much as he was obviously trying to stop it. Pretending I hadn't noticed, I said, "there was obviously a connection between you two, and she did such a brave thing. No one else wanted to stop it, but she did, and she knew the cost. She — she was a hero."

It was the "was" that did it. It's always the past tense. Without even trying to respond, Jacob bent forward and buried his head in his arms. He didn't make a sound, but his shoulders shook, and I left my hand on his shoulder while I stared off into the distance, waiting. Finally, he sat up.

Letting out an explosive breath, he quickly swiped a hand across his eyes and muttered, "I think I'd better be getting to bed."

Silently, I stood and reached out my hand to haul him to his feet. For a moment, we just stood there in silence, and then, as we began to walk toward the door, he said, almost so quietly that I missed it, "thanks, Eve. I…." but I interrupted him before he could say another word.

"Don't mention it." We looked at each other, and a moment of pure understanding passed between us, and then he was gone, hopefully to get a good night's sleep. I couldn't imagine anyone who needed it more.


End file.
